Re: References: I need a quick bit of help.

From:
"Victor Bazarov" <v.Abazarov@comAcast.net>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:47:12 -0400
Message-ID:
<ff2puf$glv$1@news.datemas.de>
xkenneth wrote:

All,

  Thanks to anyone who reads this. I am trying to implement a basic
dictionary class using a binary tree. That information is fairly
unimportant as I'm simply trying to use references to contain the node
data. When i create my tree, create it's root node, and then try to
return the data, it comes back as either garbled or the wrong data. I
have attached all of my code, any help is appreciated.

binNode.h
----------------

#ifndef BINNODE_H
#define BINNODE_H

class binNode
{ public:
[...]
float& data;
};

#endif
-------------------

binNode.cc
-------------------
#include <iostream>
#include "binNode.h"

binNode::binNode(binNode* left,float& item,binNode* right) : data(0) {
[..]


That should NOT compile. You're initialising a _reference_ to non-const
'float' using a _literal_ of type 'int' (the zero). If your compiler
does not complain, throw it away and get a better compiler.

Once you do, rethink your decision to store references in your nodes.
References are very delicate things, they cannot be "re-seated" to refer
to a different object. Once initialised, they refer to the same object
as long as they live; assigning to a reference changes the object to
which the reference refers.

V
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